Directions

1 Butter a 1.5-quart baking dish (I use a CorningWare French White 1.5-Quart Round Casserole). Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In 2-quart saucepan, heat milk just to a simmer.

2 While oven and milk are heating, whisk together salt, baking powder and spices in a small bowl and get other ingredients ready.

3 When milk is hot, gradually whisk in the corn meal. Cook at a slow bubble, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes until slightly thickened (rather like pancake batter). Remove from heat.

4 Whisk in the molasses, sugar and butter. Whisk a little of the mixture into the egg, then add it to the pot, whisking well. Pour into buttered baking dish. Bake at 275 degrees for 2 hours. Cool for 30 minutes to an hour before serving. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Notes

This is a recipe I make every fall or winter in honor of my 10 ancestors who came over from England on the Mayflower. Indian pudding, so named because the settlers called the corn meal introduced to them by the native people "Indian meal," is one of the first American foods to be documented. A quintessential New England dish, it doesn't get a lot of play in the rest of the country, so it always surprises guests. I wanted to share it with my fellow TechMunch attendees so they, too, can surprise their guests with an unexpected dessert.

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